The Rajya Sabha adjourned within eight minutes of convening for the day after the Opposition rejected Chairman Venkaiah Naidu’s proposal to debate the farm laws on Tuesday.
On Monday night, Congress chief whip Jairam Ramesh revealed on Twitter that a discussion on “The agricultural problems and solutions” was listed and his name also figured among the movers. Mr. Ramesh called the move “too clever-by-half”. “The discussion has NOTHING to do with my notice given on July 23rd on the ongoing farmers’ agitation,” he tweeted posting along with it a photo of the motion moved by him.
The Opposition parties have maintained that a debate on Pegasus spyware has to precede any other debate. The government, on the other hand, is equally adamant to avoid the debate on this subject.
“Dirty tricks of Modi-Shah. Glad you called them out. Opposition speaking in one voice: we want a discussion on internal security [Pegasus]. Failed again in trying to divide and rule,” Mr. O’ Brien tweeted in response to Mr. Ramesh’s tweet.
This is the second instance when Opposition has rejected Mr. Naidu’s attempt at reaching a truce. For the last 15 days of the monsoon session, the Parliament has failed to function smoothly.
After the Opposition rejected Mr. Naidu’s proposal, the House was adjourned till noon. The Rajya Sabha is set to take up the General Insurance Bill which aims to privatise the public insurance firms. This is expected to be next flashpoint between the government and the Opposition. The Opposition wants to send this Bill to a select committee but the government is unlikely to concede.